Closure means for containers



July 29, l947 l.. T. GRABBE Erm.` 2,424,801

CLOSURE MEANS FOR CONTAINERS Filed March 11, 1946 Patented July 29, 1947 CLOSURE MEANS FOR CONTAINERS Lindsay T. Crabbe, Chicago, Ill., and Donald C. Lathrop,l Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Phoenix Metal Cap Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application March 11, 1946, serial No. 653,450

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a closure means for containers,`

and more particularly a closure means which will vent when the internal pressure developing in the container becomes excessive.

In the patent granted Lindsay T. Crabbe, May 25, 1943, No, 2,319.849, there is shown a closure means for containers which includes a metal cap having a dome-shaped top and a gasket which is disposed so as to tightly seal the container under normal internal pressure and wherein the gasket may yield under excessive internal pressure to permit the gases to escape.

'I'he present invention is an improvement on the closure means of the Crabbe patent supra and has for an object to'construct the lip of a container so as to facilitate venting without disturbing the sealing of the container under normal internal pressure.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the neck of a container embodying the improvements;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the upper portion of the container, the cap and the gasket showing the container sealed and under normal internal pressure;

Figure 3 is a. view similar to Figure 2 but showing the eiect of excessive gas pressure on the sealing disk.

, The present invention has to do with a closure means for containers and in particular for a container having a neck terminating in a relatively wide sealing lip such as provided in jars, bottles and the like. The closure meansjincludes a metal cap having'a dome-shaped top" and a depending skirt which extends'down over the neck of the containerl and is lsecured to the container by any suitable means. The dome-shaped portion of the cap is slightly larger in diameter than the outery diameter of the lip of the container. v

The closure means also includes a gasket which extends across the mouth of the container, overlies the lip of the container and projects beyond the lip to the extent of the dome portion of the cap. This gasket may be inserted in the cap and will be retained therein as a unit. The gasket may be initially preformed so as to curve inwardly into the mouth of the container, or it may extend straight across the mouth of the container. It is essential, however, that the gasket initially shall lie fiat against the lip of the container so as to make sealing contact therewith when pressed upon by the cap.

The outer portion of the sealing lip of the container is provided with a cut-away portion. 'I'his cut-away portion is rather shallow and extends from the outer edge of the lip inwardly to about the center of the width of the lip, leaving the inner portion of the lip continuous and unbroken. There may be one or more of these notches. Under normal internal pressure, when the cap is turned down onto the neck of the container, it will force the gasket into tight, contact with the sealing lip and thus provide a seal for the container. 'If gas evolves from the contents of the jar so as to produce an excessive pressure, the sealing disk will be caused to ilex outwardly into contact with the dome of the cap and this will separate' the sealing disk from the inner portion of the lip, thus permitting the gases to wedge inbetween the gasket and the lip. The lifting of the gasket from the sealing lip will expose the inner portion oi the recess in the lip and this will greatly facilitate the escape of the gases and the venting of the container.

Referring more in detail to the drawings,

the invention is shown as applied to a container of the bottle or jar type. The container includes a neck l having on its exterior surface a thread 2. This neck portion' I terminates in a lipv 3 which is hat so that the Sealing surface ofthe i lip lies in a single plane. The lip'is cutaway or recessed as indicated at 4, 4. 'Ihese recesses are shallow and extend from the outeredgefofthel lip inwardly to substantially the middled of the lip, thus leaving the inner portion of the vlip continuous and unbroken. As `shown in the' drawings, these` recesses extend cirmmferentially-` of surface at the inner portion of the lip.

The-closure 'means associated with the container neck includesametaltcap .having'a' top 5- and a depending skirt 6.' .'I'hedepending'skirt 6 is provided with a thread l whichvcooper'ates with the thread 2 inv securing the capito the neck oflthe'container.-'1he top portion 5 is dome-shaped and the outward curving of the top 4 extends all the way from the skirt at one side The diameter to the skirt at th'e other side. of this dome-shaped portion'is, therefore, slightly larger than the diameter of the sealing lip of the neck of the container.

Within this meta-l cap is a sealing gasket 8. This sealing gasket may be of any suitable sealing material and is preferably coated on its inner :ner face .of the dome of the cap. g

the container. Y vIt is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the shaping of the parts may. Y

` liel made without departing from the spirit of the; invention as set forth in the appended claim.

face as indicated at 9. Any suitable protective coating may be used for this purpose. The sealing disk may be die-shaped before it is placed on the cap so as to provide an inwardly concaved portion which will extend into the mouth of the container as shown in the drawings; It is essential, however, that the portions Il), l of the gasket shall be flat and parallel with the outer face of the lip of the container. The cap will press on the gasket in the region over the outer edge of the lip of the container and this will force the gasket against the lip, producing a seal for the container.

When the gasket is curved inwardly, itv will make a tighter seal with the inner edge of the lip of the container. Whether curved inwardly or flat across the mouth of the container, it will Vbeforcedby the cap into tight sealing contact with the lip of the container.

Let us assume that the contents ofthe container evolves a gasv and that theA pressure of the gas becomes excessive so that the container is likely to be disrupted. The-gas pressure against the inner face of the sealing gasket will flex said gasketoutward, forcing `it into contact with the`.in

the dome of the cap. This forcing of thegasket A against the dome 'of the cap will lift thejgasket from the'contact with the inner portion of [the lip of -the container'.l Inasmuch as the notchescliff extend into about the middle of the lip, this lift.- ing of the gasket will expose the innermost por tions of the recesses and thus the gases 'may freely escape through the notched portionsland from beneath the skirt of the cap. y This venting orvzescape of the generated gases will lower ,theV

internal pressure and prevent any disrupting of;

The combination of a container having a neck terminating in a mouth surrounded by a lip having a at sealing face, the outer portion of said flat sealing face having a shallow recess formed 5 therein extending circumferentially of said lip and having substantially parallel end walls, said recess at the inner side thereof terminating at a uniform distance from the inner edge of the lip so as to provide a continuous flat sealing surface at the inner portion of the lip, a cap having a dome-shaped top and a depending skirt at the outer edge of said dome, said skirt and said neck having cooperating devices whereby the cap may be secured to the container, a sealing gasket ex- ,tending across the mouth of the container and overlying and extending beyond said lip where` by the dome of the cap will contact with the gasket only in the region directly overthe outer portion of said lip under normal sealing condition, the inner line of said region being directly over saidrecess, said gasket being preformed so that, when the cap is initially secured to the container, 'said gasket from said region of contact at one side of. the mouth of the container '25f to the other will be out of contact with the i l dome-and will under the pressure of the cap make In Figure 3 ofthe drawings the gaseg'f'idej sealing contact with the flat face of the lip pressure are indicated by the arrows and the' gasket is pressed outwardly into contact wltlr f 30. under excessive internal pressure so that the gasthroughout the entire extent thereof, said gasket being adapted to flex outwardly against the dome ketis lifted from contact with the fiat inner portion of the lip uncovering the inner portion of -the recess so as to permit the gases within the `container to pass between the gasket and the lip and escape through said recess.

LINDSAY T. CRABBE. DONALD C. LATHROP.

REFERENCES CITED if()r The-following references are,A of record ln the Y file of this patent;

v NITED STATES PATENTS Number 

